WILLIAMSBURG VILLAGE.

Neighborhoods in Arlington, Virginia

For a long time, Williamsburg—which hugs the northern edge of Arlington County along the Fairfax County line—flew under the radar, a quiet, modest community of ramblers and other 20th-century housing styles lining the sloping and wide Williamsburg Boulevard.

In recent years, however, the area has been discovered. It is now a prolific epicenter of residential construction activity, with modest mid-century homes being razed and renovated to accommodate modern lifestyles.

Over the past decade, Williamsburg has seen many new homes built. Some of the new homes popping up from its low-lying streets are commanding price tags well over $1.6 million, and their lot sizes tend to be large by Arlington standards—routinely around 10,000 square feet.

History buffs appreciate that Williamsburg preserves a bit of Civil War territory. Minor Hill Park is named for a hill where Union troops built an observation tower and performed hot-air balloon ascensions to gain intelligence about Confederate troop movements in Fairfax County.

In keeping with the building trend, nearby Bishop O’Connell High School has completed renovations to its track-and-field area, which is now open for neighborhood recreational use at designated times.

But one spot that remains largely unchanged is the quaint Williamsburg Shopping Center, built in the 1950s, which serves the community with a drugstore, bank, hair salon and homespun establishments such as Backyard Barbeque, where locals can enjoy pulled-pork with a side of slaw.